Pure Salmon gets green light to build 10,000-tonne French facility
French authorities have approved the environmental authorisation for Pure Salmon’s planned 10,000-tonne land-based salmon facility in Le Verdon-sur-Mer, the company said in a press release today.
The recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) facility, which will operate under the name Saumon du Médoc, was officially granted the authorisation on Monday (August 3), completing the regulatory and technical review for the site at the industrial port in the municipality.
The environmental authorisation follows the building permit granted in June 2026, the positive opinion of the public inquiry commission and the favourable opinion issued by CODERST, the Departmental Council for the Environment and Health and Technological Risks, on July 2.
A rigorous process
“The granting of this environmental authorisation is the culmination of a rigorous review process carried out in close cooperation with government departments and local stakeholders,” said Stéphane Farouze, founder of Pure Salmon and its parent company 8F Asset Management.
“It completes a step-by-step process following the building permit and the favourable opinion issued by CODERST. We are immensely proud to establish this project for the long term under the name ‘Saumon du Médoc’, further strengthening our close connection with this remarkable region.”
250 jobs
The French facility will benefit from operational experience gained at Pure Salmon’s facilities in Japan, which began operations in May this year, the company said.
The vertically integrated operation, which includes processing, will create 250 jobs at Pointe du Médoc, and bring local production of the most widely consumed fish in France.
Saumon du Médoc will not use forage fish in its salmon feed. Fish processing by-products will be the only source of fish meal and fish oil for the feed.
Although Pure Salmon now has all the permits it needs to start construction at the site, there is a two-month window for submission of any appeals against the environmental approval, and authorities recommend that work shouldn't start until that period ends.
Final site preparation, expected to take 6-8 months, must also be completed before Pure Salmon can break ground at Le Verdon-sur-Mer.
